Foot mop



Oct. 16, 1951 PETERSON 2,571,606

FOOT MOP Filed May 20, 1948 2 SHEETS-Sl-IEET 1 IN VEN TOR. ESTHERPETERSON BY W Anna/may E. PETERSON FOOT MOP 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed May20, 1948 INVENTOR. ESTHER PETERSON Patented Oct. 16, 1951 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE FOOT MOP Esther Peterson, New York, N. Y. Application May1948, Serial No. 28,200

4 Claims. (01. 15227) This invention relates to new and usefulimprovements in an article for dry mopping and/ or polishing floors.

According to the invention, there is provided a mop or polisher flexiblethroughout and incorporating a bottom wall structure carrying themopping or polishing instrumentalities, as a multiplicity of strands ofyarn or the like, and an overlying stall for the fore part of a foot ofthe user of the device, whereby with such foot inserted into said stallshufliing or sliding movements of the foot may be employed while walkingso as to dry mop and/or polish the floor. Thus a back-tiring kneelingposture is entirely obviated, and the work of dry mopping and/orpolishing the floor is easily and quickly performed.

Since the concept of the invention is to provide a foot borne articlefor the purposes stated which is preferably not to be placed on a shodfoot, but instead on a preferably bare foot, particularly for drymopping and/or polishing and which is entirely constructed of cloth sothat the entire article may be conveniently washed for renewing andrefreshing the same after repeated uses.

Furthermore, in dry mopping and/or polishing the flexibility of thearticle allows a side of the article to be swept along the floor closelyalongside a baseboard, and allows the toe portion of the article to beapplied with complete efiectiveness to a floor corner. In theseconnections, a feature of the invention is an arrangement such that theyarn strands or the like are indiscriminately but considerably projectedbeyond the bounds of the flexible bottom wall struc ture, this in partresulting from the manner of securement of such strands or the like tosaid structure.

Another object of the invention proposes forming the article of aseparate foot engaging portion and bottom mop portion releasablyconnected together by means of a single lace engaged through alignedopenings formed in the portions, in a manner so that the bottom mopportion may be separated from the foot engaging portion to be separatelylaundered or replaced.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an article ofthe class described which is efficient for its intended purposes, whichis easily kept in a sanitary condition and which may be manufactured andsold at a reasonable cost.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects andadvantages thereof, reference will behad to the following description 2and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which thevarious novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the dry mopping and/or polishingarticle constructed in accordance with the present invention and shownon a foot of a user.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the article.

Fig. 3 is a rear elevational view of the article, but with the layers atthe back partially separated.

Fig. 4 is a partial enlarged vertical sectional view taken on the line4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a partial enlarged transverse vertical sectional view taken onthe line 55 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged-detailed view of a portion of Fig. 3.

Fig. '7 is a transverse sectional View of the bottom layer of the bottomwall, per se.

The dry mopping and/or polishing article, according to the presentinvention, includes a bottom wall I0 of superimposed layers Ill and l ofa suitable textile fabric. While any material may be used ior formingthe layers of the bottom wall [0, a good quality canvas is preferred.

The bottom wall H! has the outline of a somewhat elongated oval, withits more sharply rounded end at the rear of the articl so as to liebelow the heel area I4 of the foot l5 upon which the article is engaged.

To the. underside of the bottom layer Ill of the bottom wall In themopping and/or polishing instrumentalities are secured. These, as shownin Fig. 7, are clumps of short-length strands of yarn or the like; saidclumps being, in part, fore and aft extending columns or rows IS, withthe strands of each such row caught at substantially midway points alongtheir lengths by a line of stitching ll, passing through the bottomlayer lll of the bottom wall I0.

Also, included, for providing complementary mopping and/or polishinginstrumentalities, is a bank 18 of said strands, similarly arranged andsimilarly stitched to the bottom layer lfl of the bottom wall I6, as atl9; said bank extending all around the bottom wall Ill and with thestitching l9 near the peripheral edge of the bottom layer lil This bankl8, when the device is completed, becomes distended or laterallyofi'set, for projection not only below but outwardly beyond the edges ofthe bottom wall II], as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

A stall 20 for receiving the front portion of the foot I is provided intop layer III of the bottom wall I0, and in part by an added piece 2|)of suitable textile fabric, so cut that it may be marginally coupledaround its front and along its sides to the top layer |0 of the bottomwall ID at the marginal portions of the latter around the front andpartially along the sides thereof, and then so as to be laterallyupwardly arched as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, and upwardly and rearwardlyinclined as shown in Fig. 1, to present a foot entry opening 2| as shownin Figs. 1 and 2.

Said opening 2| is finished by a tape 22 and stitched in place asindicated at 23; and the device is completed by application of a tape 24longitudinally folded on itself. The tape 24 is stitched, as at 25, allaround the top layer ID of the bottom wall l0 and the marginal portionsof the fabric piece 2|) complemental to the top layer I0? forestablishing the stall 2B, securing those parts together as an integralunit. A similar tape 24 held in position by stitches 25 binds the edgesof the bottom layer l0 With the stall 20 even only fairly snugly fittingthe fore part of the foot I5, the device will not be accidentallydisplaced from the foot; particularly if, as shown in Fig. 1, the tapes24 are also somewhat constricted along that part of its length where thesame is run around the rear end of the layers Ill and IN of the bottomwall ID to cause the rear end of the bottom wall to be upwardly canted,as indicated at 2B in Fig. 1. In this connection, it is pointed out thatthe working strokes of the device are intended to be those of a personnormally walking or shufiiing in a forward direction.

Also, for snug fitting of the stall 20; the tape 22 may be alongitudinally elastically stretchable one.

Means is provided for releasably securing the layers ||l and l0together, so that the bottom layer Ill including the mopping and/orpolishing instrumentalities may be separated from the top layer HI tofacilitate independent washing and cleaning of the mopping and/orpolishing instrumentalities or to permit the bottom layer *l-O includingthe mopping and/or polishing instrumentalities to be replaced when theybecome worn.

The releasable securing is accomplished by providing the top layer witheyelets 40 in alignment with complementary eyelets 4| formed in thebottom layer I0 A single lace 42 is engaged through the aligned eyelets40 and 4| and has its ends secured together at the back of the bottomwall H], as shown in Figs. 2 and 4. With the lace 42 entirely removedfrom the eyelets 40 and 4| it will be appreciated that the bottom layerl0 will be completely separated from the top layer It! of the bottomwall In for the purposes outlined.

In forming the eyelets 40 and 4|, it is preferred that the layers Illand Ill be formed with small holes and that the edges of the holes bebound by stitches 43, as illustrated in detail about the eyelet 4| inFig. 6. This eliminates the use of metal and prevents the article fromscratching the floor surfaces when in use.

The manner of using the article is as follows:

Two of the articles constructed in accordance with the present inventionare placed upon the feet and the wearer walks or shuffies about thefloors of the house so as to simultaneously dry mop and polish thefloors. The sides of the feet may be run along the base boards of theroom and the toe portions of the feet may be effectively used for drymopping and/or polishing in the corners or other inaccessible places ofthe room.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of myinvention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to theprecise construction hereindisclosed and the right is reserved to allchanges and modifications coming within the scope of the invention asdefined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. An article for the purpose described, comprising a bottom wallflexible throughout, a collection of mopping instrumentalities securedto and dependent from the underside of said bottom wall, and a stall forthe fore part of a foot and partially provided by said bettoin wall andpartially provided by an added piece of flexible material secured tosaid bottom wall at the top and front thereof, said bottofii wall beingformed of superimposed layers and said top layer being attached to saidpiece of flexible material and said bottom layer having said moppinginstrumentalities secured thereto, and means for releasably securingsaid layers together.

2. An article for the purpose described, comprising a bottom wallflexible throughout, a collection of mopping instrumentalities securedto and dependent from the underside of said bottom Wall, and a stall forthe fore part of a foot and partially provided by said bottom wall andpartially provided by "an added piece of flexible material secured tosaid bottom wall at the top and front thereof, said bottom wall beingformed of superimposed layers and said top layer being attached to saidpiece of flexible material and said bottom layer having said moppinginstrumentalities secured thereto, said layers being formed with alignedeyelets, and a lace engaged through said eyelets. to secure said layerstogether.

3. Anarticle for the purpose described, comprising a bottom wallflexible throughout, a collection of mopping instrumentalities securedto and dependent from the underside of said bottom wall, and a stall forthe fore part of a foot and partially provided by said bottom wall andpartially provided by an added piece of flexible material secured tosaid bottom wall at the top and front thereof, said bottom wall beingformed of superimposed layers and said top layer being attached to saidpiece of flexible material and said bottom layer having said moppinginstrumentalities secured thereto, said layers being formed with alignedeyelets, and a lace engaged through said eyelets to secure said layerstogether, said eyelets being formed by providing said layers with holesand binding the edges of the holes with stitches.

4. An article for the purpose described, comprising a bottom wallflexible throughout, said bottom wall being formed of superimposedlayers of fabric material releasably secured together, a collection ofmopping instrumentalitiessecured to the bottom face of the bottom layer,a piece of fabric secured to the top face of the top layer adjacent oneend thereof forming a stall for a foot, and a tape secured along therear edge of said piece of fabric. h

ESTHER PETERSON.

(References on following page) 5 REFERENCES CITED The followingreferences are of record in the Number file of this patent: 25,382653,663 UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 131,319 Number Name Date 665 7321,141,580 Reddick June 1, 1915 806:694 2,067,687 Teare Jan. 12, 1937431,824

FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Switzerland Mar. 19, 1902 France Nov. 19,1928 Switzerland Apr. 16, 1929 France May 13, 1929 France Sept. 28, 1936Great Britain Mar. 18, 1938

